What is nationalized voting? What to know about Trump’s statement

This week, President Trump called for Republicans to pursue nationalized voting. Here’s what that means and why it matters.

President Donald Trump called for Republicans to “nationalize” the voting process during a recent appearance on the podcast of Dan Bongino.

Trump’s statements are directly tied to his continued unfounded claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, in which he lost to Joe Biden.

During the podcast appearance with Bongino, who returned to his show on Feb. 2 after resigning in January as FBI deputy director in the Trump administration, Trump called unnamed states “crooked.”

“The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least ‒ many, 15 places’,” Trump said. “The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. We have states that are so crooked.”

Here’s what the president means by “nationalized voting,” plus some info on upcoming elections and more.

What is nationalized voting? What did Trump say about nationalized voting?

Trump’s statements on Bongino’s podcast were essentially a call for Republicans at the federal level to seize control of elections from the states. The Constitution gives authority to states, rather the federal government, to set “the times, places and manner” of holding federal elections. It does, however, empower Congress to “make or alter” rules.

Trump said, “The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over, we should take over the voting … in at least many, 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting” during the Monday interview. No further details were provided on how he wanted the Republicans to nationalize voting. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson later clarified Trump’s comments in a statement to ABC News.

“President Trump cares deeply about the safety and security of our elections — that’s why he’s urged Congress to pass the SAVE Act and other legislative proposals that would establish a uniform standard of photo ID for voting, prohibit no-excuse mail-in voting, and end the practice of ballot harvesting,” Jackson said.

Trump’s comments came after the FBI on Jan. 28 executed a search warrant at a Fulton County elections center near Atlanta as part of a probe related to the 2020 presidential election. Georgia is among the states won by Biden that Trump has falsely said were stolen from him.

“We have states that I won that Joe didn’t win,” Trump said. “Now, you’re going to see something in Georgia, where they were able to get the court order, the ballots. You’re going to see some interesting things come out.”

When is the next election in North Carolina?

The 2026 midterm primary elections happen across the state for offices other than president and vice president on March 3, with the deadline for voter registration falling on Feb. 6 at 5 p.m. Same-day registration is also available during early voting from Feb. 12-28 with photo ID and proof of residence.

In North Carolina, ballots will be cast for what is anticipated to be among the most-watched U.S. Senate races in the country, as well as the North Carolina General Assembly and U.S. House of Representatives’ District 11, where Rep. Chuck Edwards is vying to keep his seat.

In Buncombe County, local races will also take place, including school board, Buncombe County commissioners, sheriff, district attorney and a large slate of Asheville City Council candidates. A mayoral race face-off between the incumbent and a sitting member of council is also coming soon, though the candidates will not appear in the primary.

The March 3 primary decides who will compete in the general election in November.

When is the next presidential election?

The 61st U.S. presidential election will take place on Nov. 7, 2028, and the winner of the 2028 election will be sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2029.

Reporting by Iris Seaton, Asheville Citizen Times / Asheville Citizen Times

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect